Rise From The Ashes
by SavageTrickster
Summary: Born in a world she wants no part. Where humanity is a prisoner to its greatest predator. Where the death knell tolls for each soldier who goes out on seemingly hopeless missions. However, steeled with purpose and resolve, she vows to follow and fight along his side. For she saw a means to its end in the path he will lead them in, as the 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier'. – Levi x OC.


**This is my very first Shingeki no Kyojin fanfic, please go easy on me. I am sorry for the lame summary you read outside here. I had a hard time trying to construct an interesting summary, but it turned out sounding really cliché, didn't it? I will reconstruct it when I have a better one. **

**Anyway, I was inspired by many wonderfully written Levi x OC fanfictions out there and decided that I will give my best shot to create a fanfiction like them. Hope you enjoy this very first chapter of my very first Shingeki no Kyojin fanfiction! Please pardon me if you have spotted any errors reading this, I revise it when I find time.**

**So here you go – the first chapter!**

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**Chapter 1**

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The house reeked of blood, something she noticed immediately when she stepped into the house. Her nose couldn't stop twitching at the unmistakeable smell of blood which stained the air it breathed in. Manoeuvring her way into the living room, it did not take her long to find out where the smell was emitting from because the sight of what she feared seeing the most was right before her eyes, lying on the floor of their tiny house in a crimson pool of blood.

Her ice blue eyes quivered in shock and disbelief at the familiar body sprawled in the middle of the room. "M-Mother?" Her pounding heart picked up its pace as she anticipated for a reply. _Hoping_ for a reply, anything that could tell her that the person was still breathing.

Instead, the glassy eyes of the dead woman continued staring lifelessly at her direction.

Ripping the bag off her shoulders, the fourteen years old girl stumbled over and hastily kneeled by the body. The girl ran her eyes over her mother's body and stopped at her face to take in the frozen shock on it. Ice blue eyes, just like her very own looked even icier with death.

No, this can't be happening, she thought with distraught, struggling to piece everything together.

She's dead. She's dead. She's dead.

Like a mantra, a voice in her head resonated.

Along with it, the surge of emotions in her was starting to drive her over the edge. She didn't know what to feel. For a moment, she felt remorse. For another moment, she felt anger. The thought of a certain man helped her decide. Her clenched fists shook as the latter rose above the other.

Anger within her was burning hot at her mistake, and even hotter at that stupid man.

She knew this was bound to happen one day, and yet...she still left her mother alone with him when she clearly knew since she was a little girl that the man she had to force herself to call 'Father' was never hesitant to put his punches and kicks on her mother and her. It was either driven by anger or simply because he got himself stupidly drunk – which was always.

She...she gave him that chance to beat her mother to death, to stab her to death. Her eyes wandered over to the small dagger on the floor where its bloodstained blade was gleaming mockingly at her sorrow.

Looking at her mother's face, the bitterness of regret sank down her stomach while anger rose.

She wasn't there to protect.

She just had to head out and leave her mother alone with him.

Hot angry tears welled up in her eyes and left them to travel down her cheeks as the desire in her to make him pay grew immensely. That heartless man, leaving her mother's corpse here like it had nothing to do with him.

She had enough of him. If alcohol was not going to kill him, she will.

Gently sweeping a hand over her mother's opened eyes to close them, she gently place a kiss on her beloved woman's cold forehead. "I will avenge you, Mother." She whispered, giving the cold hand in hers a little squeeze. Hastily wiping away her tears, she glanced down at the dead woman with eyes steeled with promise and vengeance.

The fourteen years old slowly rose from the ground and marched purposefully towards the room by the corner, glaring with hatred at its door. She snatched up the dagger and tightened her grip on its hilt.

Kicking the door open, the man inside sprang up in surprise from his favourite armchair at her abrupt entrance. "K-Karla...!"

She frowned at the smell that attacked her senses. As usual, the whole room smelled as disgusting as the scent on him – a stench of alcohol. Trying to ignore it, she completely forgot about the smell the moment she laid her eyes on the man who lazily sprawled back onto his chair.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Shut up, drunkface." Her voice was deep and low with menace.

The urge to end him was overbearing. She didn't want to hear his reason or spare him so that he could continue making hers hell. She never wished to hear her name or his voice from that mouth ever again. She just wanted to end him right here and right now, just like she had promised her dead mother.

"Why you..." His ugly face scrunched in anger. His beady eyes were dull from intoxication despite his anger. "A bitch like your _dead_ mother. You've seen her, haven't you? Lying outside like a smelly dead rat!" The man lifted the bottle to his mouth and downed another gulp of beer. "Perhaps you should join her on the floor, like the rats you are." He sneered, wiped his mouth across his sleeve lazily.

Like fuel to fire, his words aggravated her anger and desire to stab the dagger in her trembling hands into him. "Don't you _dare_ insult my mother, you little piece of shit." She hissed icily at him.

Her blood was boiling with hatred and her eyes were blazing with anger. She tightened her grip on the dagger and strode towards the murderer of her mother. Her pace, fuelled by her raging emotions, was getting quicker and quicker.

The man who sensed the strong killer intent from her, hurriedly sat up. His eyes widened fearfully when he caught sight and recognized the dagger he used earlier, ready in her hand. "Wha-What are you doing!?" His breathing quickened with his racing heart as he watched his daughter stalked up to him. He gulped at the murderous gleam in her eyes. "Stop! Go away! Get out! Wha-What are you going to do to your father?" He shot up from his seat and back away.

"Father?" Incredulity flashed across her face as she spat. "Bullshit." She scoffed. "You are no father of mine. I never had a father."

The man's face softened with desperation. "Karla, you can't do this. You have a father, and that's me, so you shouldn't-"

"DIE ALREADY!_" _She flew forward, faster than he could blink, and plunged the weapon into his chest where his racing heart was thumping in. "I only had a mother. You'd killed her, murderer!" She snarled, twisted the dagger deeper into the groaning man's body.

His widened beady eyes which was quivering with shock, slowly slid over to hers. The smell of alcohol entered her nose as the man took a shaky deep breath. "Ka-Karla..."

"My mother was a wonderful woman, and you just had to..." A sob escaped her mouth as she raised her eyes to glare at him. "I hate you! Go to hell already!"The tears she couldn't hold back any longer spilled over her cheeks as she watched the light within his eyes start to dull, slowly and painstakingly.

"You..." The man struggled to say his last words. The light in his eyes flickered as he desperately clung onto his last breath.

Adrenaline continued pounding in her blood as she watched his mouth open and close, trying to form words.

"You...You are a monster..."

At last with his last words out, the man collapsed against her. He was dead. All that was left before her was the empty shell of her mother's murderer. The father she wished she never had.

She brought a hand over his eyes like what she'd done for her dead mother and closed them as she let his last words sink.

They stung. And true to his words, she felt like one.

A bitter smile crept across her tearstained face. "Just like you, Ernst Steinmann, just like you..."The body dropped and landed with a dull thud when she released her hold on the dagger.

Her trembling knees which had managed to hold her up from the moment she'd seen her dead mother to this man, finally buckled. Locks of her auburn hair fluttered around her as she sank down to the ground, feeling flat with emptiness. There was no sense of accomplishment, just sorrow.

She glanced down at her trembling hands tiredly. Another wave of tears ran down her face as she raised her head to look around her. Her eyebrows furrowed as the emptiness in her grew even heavier when realization hit her hard.

The house she knew so well was now empty of life, empty of her defective family she grew up with.

She was all alone.

Another realization struck her when a breeze of cold wind blew through the opened window, touching her skin with its icy fingers as though trying to remind her of something.

"I'd better to leave before the military police finds me..." She muttered to herself as she slowly picked herself up from the ground.

Staggering out of the room, she kneeled by her mother's body and peck on her forehead, whispering her love to the corpse. Gazing down at the woman's peaceful face sadly, she uttered a remorseful apology for not being able to give her a proper burial. Time was ticking away, and she couldn't risk getting herself in trouble with the police when they arrive.

Uttering another apology, she strode over to the clothes rack to grab her mother's cloak. Once it was secured around her, she looked around the house for the last time.

Her eyes wandered back to the dead woman, trying to lock the image onto the back of her mind.

"Goodbye, mother. I love you..."

With a bitter smile at the corpse, she walked out of the door with a heavy heart.

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The metallic clangs from the ring bell rang out through the crowded room, signalling the end of another match. The cheers and jeers from the spectators that erupted quickly died down the moment the emcee stepped up onto the fighting ring where all eyes were focusing on. The blond hair on his head shone in the light of the large dangling lamp above him as he gave at the sea of people that surrounded the stage a cursory glance.

He took in a deep breath and broke into a grin. "This match is over. And the winner is Max Eichmann!" He spun on his heels and gestured at the said person. The moment he did that the crowd around him broke into cheers once again. The jeers that came up with them were quickly drowned out by the supporters.

The winner who stood over his unconscious opponent jutted his chin out and let out a cheer of his own, punching a fist into the air. This action roused another wave of cheers from his supporters, louder and more enthusiastic.

From the waiting room, a pair of steely grey eyes watched the whole thing with gaze dulled with disinterest. The watching eyes glided over to the spectators, with disinterest tagging along, the moment its owner got bored with the stage.

Crossing his arms lazily, he watched the men below reach out to receive the money they won from Max Eichmann's victory. Their faces were bright with greed. _Like a bunch of shitty pigs._ He thought, clucking his tongue in disgust.

"Hey, kid!" Steely grey eyes slid over his shoulder. He watched with an equally disinterested look as a hefty bald man who was in charge of scheduling the matches lumbered towards him. "You're up!"

As if on cue, a booming voice of the emcee rang out. "And now, it's time for one of our favourite competitors to display his strength on this very stage! Let's welcome our youngest competitor..." The crowd fidgeted with excitement and anticipation. "...LEVI!"

A burst of cheers from the crowd erupted at the mention of his name.

With a sigh, he pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on, fluidly unfolding his arms before unzipping his dark blue jacket. Turning away from the large man, he slipped it off to reveal a ripped body, and toss it to the man behind.

"Good luck, kid." A large hand patted his shoulder and nudged him forward, out of the dimly lit waiting room and into the sight of his cheering supporters. His appearance seemed to have the ability to excite the crowd even more because cheers were growing even louder.

Striding forward on the platform which led to the ring, the seventeen years old boy gazed at his supporters around him coolly. As his steely grey eyes swept over their faces, he recognized some who had made fun of him because of his age during his first match. He could still remember the jeers he got from them when he stepped out here the first time. It was funny how they could so easily switch sides after witnessing the fight he put up back then.

He raised his eyes to the fighting ring his feet were leading him to and studied the winner from the match he just witnessed.

"Who will win this match? Max or Levi?" The emcee's voice echoed in the air around them. "Place your bet!"

As if to answer the question, his opponent threw a smirk at his direction. Catching the smugness in the smirk, Levi raised his eyes to meet the man's confident gaze and replied with an unimpressed look.

"Tch."

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The bag of coins bounced on his hand in a rhythmic manner as he emerged from the stairs which led him back to the back alley. His eyes swept around the alley with a gaze sharpened with caution as he slid the bag into the inner breast pocket of his jacket. His skin was prickling with awareness. He could feel the stares he was receiving from the men loitering around the entrance of the underground fighting den he just exited from. The stairs which led him to the world up here was littered with so many of their kind, of his kind – thugs.

He was a thug like them, no matter how much he hate being associated with the underground he found 'filthy', it was his way to survive in this cruel world.

"_Hey kid, that was you up there right?_" Eyes narrowing instantly, he stiffened with a pause in his stride for a moment, and began walking again. "_That was cool shit, Levi!_"

Somehow a tiny smirk managed to find its way across his face at the comment. With a soft grunt of 'thanks', the boy thought back to how his opponent held his bruised cheek and gaped up at him with mouth opening and closing in disbelief. The stupefied look on his face made him look absolutely idiotic.

Smirk faltering, his musing came to an end as he made a turn into a corner.

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After a turn into a corner, Levi found himself staring at a body. With an unblinkingly gaze, the gleam of surprise in his eyes were quickly dulled with disinterest as he took note of the little heaves and falls it was making. It seemed alive but filthy, much to his disgust. He knelled on a knee and studied the body, tilting of his head in mild concentration.

It looked like a female, judging from the delicate face features and auburn long hair. She looked young but not too far from his age.

He drew his gaze back to her face and smoothly stood up, scowling down at the body.

Extending a leg out, he nudged the girl. "Hey."

He frowned when he saw no response but tried again.

"Get up, shit-eating girl."

She remained motionless on the ground.

His eyebrows furrowed

Was she sleeping or simply unconscious? With a brief pause, Levi snorted incredulously at the absurdity of his own question. Of course, who, especially a female, would be so_ stupid_ to fall asleep at a place with so many uncouth men lurking nearby? The girl must be a real idiot if she did.

Finally deciding that she was unconscious, he narrowed his eyes in thoughts, debating whether he should just step over her and go on his way or dirty himself with her.

_Troublesome and filthy. _A grimace formed on his face. _Will it– _

A fit of chortling from down the alley he just exited rudely broke into his thoughts.

That sound made his eyebrows furrow even deeper.

Exhaling a sigh through his nose, Levi crouched down after deciding on the latter decision. His nose scrunched up in disgust. "Smells like shit too. "

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**Alright, so what do you think? Did it make you cringe? Was Levi OOC? I really like to know. It would be really nice of you if you left me a review. Please review! Constructive ones will be the best! Thanks.**


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